The Otherworldly Magic Swordsman Who Disciplines the Hunter World Chapter 30

Even if I was flustered, I shouldn’t have just stood there like a fool.

When Julian charged into the body of that disgusting monster, Gong Siyoung was more than a little shocked.

Whether he didn’t know he could die or was just pretending not to know, Julian didn’t hesitate for even a second.

He did that even though there was no need to fight while putting his life on the line like that. No one had asked him to. No one would have said anything if he had run away from there.

Yet, Julian took the lead as if it were the natural thing to do.

Is that just his way? Only then did the composure peculiar to a person who solves things alone and endures things alone come into view.

Ridiculously, it felt exactly like his own image. Though he pretended otherwise, Gong Siyoung also had an obsession with having to protect someone. As an S-rank Hunter, he had always fought that way.

He was a person who protected, not a person who was protected. He took sacrifice for granted, and it was always his job to take the lead.

But Julian was different. He acted as if Gong Siyoung were a mere child. Just as Gong Siyoung had done, Julian naturally took the lead and invited danger upon himself. That calm attitude made Gong Siyoung feel strange.

Since they arrived at their destination, there was no further conversation. After parking, he took Julian into the restaurant.

While they sat and ordered, Julian busily looked around the surroundings.

“What do they sell here? Is it chicken, by any chance?”

He pointed to a painting of a brightly smiling chicken on one side of the shop. Gong Siyoung, who hadn’t realized such a painting was hanging there, furrowed his brows.

Is that a funeral portrait or what?

“Samgyetang… it’s a dish made with chicken. I saw last time that you eat meat well.”

“Ah… Yes, I like meat.”

Julian laughed brightly. Gong Siyoung slightly averted his gaze from the corners of Julian’s eyes that curved into half-moons.

“…Well, for the time being, whether we like it or not, we’ll be sticking together. If there’s something you want to eat, please tell me. Or things you like…”

“I like everything.”

Julian laughed while looking straight at him. Even though he knew it wasn’t meant that way, he felt strange for no reason.

Everything… then does that mean he likes me too, or what? Did he use an ambiguous expression on purpose?

I can’t tell if he’s playing games or if he just naturally looks at people that tenderly. It was even more so because of everything Julian had done so far.

“Thank you for being so thoughtful. Thanks to you…”

Gong Siyoung jumped up from his seat.

“I—I’ll go get some water.”

He cut Julian off mid-sentence and hurried away.

He reached the water purifier, which was some distance from the table, in a single bound. While pouring water into the cups, he tapped his thumping chest.

“Are you crazy, seriously.”

Is it because I’ve been going in and out of strange dungeons lately? He felt pathetic for being conscious of words that had no meaning.

He let out a sigh while looking at the water filling the cup.

‘Get a grip, Gong Siyoung.’

It’s over if I get swept up by Julian. I am his overseer, first and foremost. If I’m blinded by what I see, how am I going to face Gong Sijin later? If I’m dragged around powerlessly like this, nothing will get done properly.

He turned around holding two full water cups. Having arrived at the table walking carefully so the water wouldn’t overflow, his eyes grew wide.

Julian, who was supposed to be waiting quietly, was nowhere to be seen. Only an empty chair greeted him.

“…Uh?”

He set the water cups down and looked around urgently. No way, surely he didn’t run away in that short time…

“Soju? Is the name of this really Soju?”

“Hey! First, take a glass!”

From a table quite a distance away, a clink! of glasses clashing rang out.

Julian, who had readily accepted and drunk the glass handed to him by an old man, marveled and gave a thumbs up.

“Wow…! It’s really delicious! The alcohol is sweet!”

“Shh! Don’t just talk, come on, one more glass!”

Julian, who readily held out his glass, chuckled. The Soju was poured to the brim with a gurgling sound. Laughter and conversation were exchanged over the wine glasses.

“Where is your family’s place of origin?”

“Place of origin? Ah, hometown? If I follow my mother’s side, it’s the Eastern Continent, and if I go by my father’s side, it’s the Kalian Kingdom.”

“Kal—what? You must be a foreigner.”

Only after hearing that far did Gong Siyoung move his feet quickly. Before they could start drinking in earnest, he grabbed Julian’s shoulder.

“…What are you doing here?”

Julian laughed and waved his hand. He quickly pulled up Julian, who was telling him to sit in the seat next to him.

Gong Siyoung bowed his head to the elderly man who was asking where they were going and telling them to have one more glass before leaving.

“Excuse us. Please enjoy your meal, Mister.”

When he said he would pay for the alcohol and the meal, the old man laughed heartily. He spared no praise, saying he was a fine young man rarely seen these days.

After sharing a lingering farewell and returning to their seats, he felt as if he had aged ten more years somehow.

“What on earth were you doing there?”

“No, I was just sitting here watching, and the grandfather was holding something, so I was curious what that bottle was. I just asked because I wanted to know.”

Julian pointed to the Soju bottle. To think he’d get a drink of Soju from someone else’s table in that short moment… He clutched his throbbing head.

“Don’t go anywhere without a word. And alcohol… it’s not very good for the body, so don’t do it. Especially drinking during a meal is bad for the body, so absolutely don’t.”

“You’re picky…”

“Do you have a problem? You do realize I’m buying all of this with my own money, right?”

“No, I don’t have a problem. At all.”

I love it. The face giving a thumbs up with a smile was as bright as could be. Looking at that, his head throbbed even more. Gong Siyoung let out a deep sigh.

“If you strike up conversations with people for no reason, bad rumors might start circulating. You have no idea how easily false rumors attach themselves to Hunters.”

Even things that should have just passed as an isolated incident often got twisted strangely as this and that were added. It was a frequent occurrence since attention was drawn to the nature of the profession as a Hunter.

A story about happily laughing and getting a drink could suddenly turn into an eyewitness account of someone snatching alcohol from another person’s table. There were many who liked and admired Hunters, but there were just as many who were envious and jealous.

Especially in a conspicuous case like Gong Siyoung, he couldn’t help but suffer frequently from malicious rumors. That’s why Gong Siyoung tried not to talk to ordinary people if possible.

Of course, even if that wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t have talked to others due to his personality, but anyway.

“Alright, I’ll be careful.”

Julian nodded obediently. Intending to give a clear warning this time, Gong Siyoung brought his face close.

“Stay by my side at all times. Got it? Make sure to report to me whenever you go somewhere.”

“Got it. I’ll always be by your side.”

He was finally somewhat satisfied with the compliant answer. He should have been like that from the start. Gong Siyoung gave a small smile while looking at Julian.

Without having the slightest dream that someone was filming that scene from a corner of the shop.

∞ ∞ ∞

“My home is definitely the best after all.”

Julian, who flopped onto the sofa, gave a long stretch. Gong Siyoung straightened the shoes he had taken off haphazardly, aligning their direction. Passing the neatly organized shoe rack, he gestured to Julian.

“Wash your hands first.”

Don’t touch anything while you’re dirty.

At Gong Siyoung’s warning, he headed to the bathroom with a sluggish pace. When he came out after thoroughly washing his hands as told, a set of clothes appeared right in front of his nose.

Gong Siyoung, who had brought a pair of shorts and a short-sleeved t-shirt, held them out to Julian.

“You want me to change into this?”

“The call will come tomorrow at dawn at the earliest. Rest until then. Don’t rest while wearing your outdoor clothes.”

Can’t I just wear anything and rest? To Julian’s eyes, these clothes and those clothes were all similar.

Still, well, if the homeowner says to do it, I have to do it. He stripped off his clothes right then and there. While he was fumbling to change into the t-shirt, Gong Siyoung stared blankly at his body.

Conscious of the gaze, Julian tilted his head and asked, “Why?”

“…No, just. Because you have more scars than you look like you would.”

“Ah, these?”

He rubbed his stomach. The scars crossing over his flat abs continued down to his waist. Besides those, there were many small scars. Julian shrugged his shoulders.

“What choice do I have if I want to make a living.”

The times he had nearly died while facing monsters were too many to count. Other than those, they were medals he had earned while doing various mercenary jobs. They were traces of having lived quite intensely, so he wasn’t ashamed.

“There are more on my back, do you want to see?”

There are even more on the back? When he showed his back as if boasting, Gong Siyoung stepped back in fluster. Like someone who had seen something they shouldn’t, he hurriedly shoved the t-shirt over Julian’s head.

“H—hurry up and put it on and come out!”

Gong Siyoung, who had even thrown the shorts with determination, slammed the bathroom door shut. Finishing putting on the t-shirt that was only halfway around his neck, Julian smacked his lips.

“Why is he like that?”

Was I acting up too much? It seemed that way. From what he had seen so far, Gong Siyoung disliked being bothered or having people act noisy very much.

I should probably keep it moderate. I’ll have to say things once instead of twice. Julian once again repeated a resolution he probably wouldn’t keep.

When he finished changing into his pants and came out of the bathroom, an empty living room greeted him. He could hear the faint sound of water, as if he was showering in the bathroom attached to the main bedroom. Julian, who sat down heavily on the sofa, leaned his back against it lazily.

Since he had eaten and come back from a shower, sleep started to pour over him as he leaned against the comfortable and cozy sofa.

He was about to check what time it was when his gaze landed on the table.

“Oh?”

The cell phone that had been confiscated by Gong Siyoung was lying there all alone as if tempting him. Without even a moment to hesitate, he reached out his hand first. Julian’s eyes shone more brilliantly than ever before.

He immediately clicked on the video app. A mysterious world that put magic to shame unfolded on the screen.

Between all the processes of the world and speaking animals, his fingertip landed on a familiar name.

Julian knit his brows. Next to a photo where a face that looked like Gong Siyoung’s to anyone had been slightly blurred, a sensational title was attached.

[Exclusive Acquisition! The Secret Private Life of an S-rank Hunter?! Secret Date Witnessed!]